Happy Shapes – My First Android App

Ideation

Originally, I had intended to create a software product. After months of wrangling with complex wireframes, I realised the development was going to cost $$$.

I’m not a fan of apps. I prefer web-based solutions. But my preschool kids, who steal my phone at every opportunity, like apps. Especially games. However:

My kids unwittingly click on ads that took them away from the game

Many games ‘speak’ using peculiar words (“trapezoid”) or unfamiliar colloquialisms (“Good Job!”)

Goals and Design Constraints

I set about trying to design a game app that was intuitive for preschool children, regardless of what language they speak, or whether they speak at all.

The goal of Happy Shapes is for preschool children to learn basic shapes

I avoided ‘advanced’ conventions such as scores, limited player lives, etc.

I designed for the mobile phone ‘short-burst’ playing pattern, whereby the playing time lasts only a few minutes

Initial Designs

I began wireframing in Balsamiq. Within a few days, a had a good early mockup of the game screens.

The Plan Changed

My plan was to outsource the development, since I am not a programmer. This changed when I discovered the amazing Construct2 by Scirra.

Construct2 allowed me to develop HTML5 games without directly writing any code. I have a grasp of programming concepts like variables, loops, arrays, etc. so Construct2, with its visual interface, was just the right tool for me.